The whole 5-7-5 syllable is a American/Westernized simplification of haiku. The 17 morae used in haiku are more based on stress and timing, which is similar but not the same as syllabic units. More important than the number of morae used, is really the image and juxapositioning of each line, and the fact that most haikus are traditionally framed by a specific season of the year.

So while just about anyone (except apparently the people in this thread) can count off 5-7-5 syllables on their fingers and break them into three lines, it doesn't necessarily make it a haiku.

cboom wrote:Wilson is the worst QB I have seen as a Hawks fan. And I have been around long enough to see them all.

The whole 5-7-5 syllable is a American/Westernized simplification of haiku. The 17 morae used in haiku are more based on stress and timing, which is similar but not the same as syllabic units. More important than the number of morae used, is really the image and juxapositioning of each line, and the fact that most haikus are traditionally framed by a specific season of the year.

So while just about anyone (except apparently the people in this thread) can count off 5-7-5 syllables on their fingers and break them into three lines, it doesn't necessarily make it a haiku.

I'm glad someone else explained this because I knew about the season stuff, but damned if I could explain it simply. Also, I can't count on my fingers.

Actually, it's supposed to have 17 on. On's are not syllables. For example, Nippon has 4 ons, but is only two syllables. Aeons was a bit murkier. Was that 4 ons or 3? so I basically said F it and wrote the Haiku how I damn well wanted.

Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

SalishHawkFan wrote:Actually, it's supposed to have 17 on. On's are not syllables. For example, Nippon has 4 ons, but is only two syllables. Aeons was a bit murkier. Was that 4 ons or 3? so I basically said F it and wrote the Haiku how I damn well wanted.

Ons and morae are the same thing, so I am not sure what you are getting at. For what it is worth, I am not Japanese nor am I a poetry scholar, but I do have some experience with it. My wife wrote poetry for years and years, so I have picked up a handful of things over that time. Jane Reichold once did a study on haiku, and determined there to be 65 "rules" for writing a haiku. The funny part is, many of the rules directly contradict each other. So in the end, the sentiment of just saying screw it, and writing it how you want, is not necessarily a bad route to take.

cboom wrote:Wilson is the worst QB I have seen as a Hawks fan. And I have been around long enough to see them all.

SalishHawkFan wrote:Actually, it's supposed to have 17 on. On's are not syllables. For example, Nippon has 4 ons, but is only two syllables. Aeons was a bit murkier. Was that 4 ons or 3? so I basically said F it and wrote the Haiku how I damn well wanted.